PNG’s chief justice under siege as crisis ratchets up

Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia talks to reporters after being confined to his chambers yesterday.
AAP

by
Eoin Blackwell

Papua New Guinea's government struck back at the country’s Supreme Court yesterday, accusing the chief justice of sedition after a second ruling that the government was not legitimate less than a month before a national election due on June 23.

Sir Salamo was involved in a tense stand-off with police and the army after Deputy Prime Minister Belden Namah and about 10 police officers stormed into his court yesterday afternoon. "I want you gone," Mr Namah shouted. "You are the most corrupt man in PNG."

Sir Salamo left the courtroom and locked himself in his chambers with his lawyer. The ABC reported he was later charged and released on bail.

“It’s a very sad day for Papua New Guinea, for democracy, for the constitution, but that doesn’t mean that we are going to submit that easily," said Justice Kirriwom.

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On Tuesday, Mr Namah gave Sir Salamo and two other judges, Les Gavara-Nanu and Nicholas Kirriwom, 24 hours to resign after they found for the second time on Monday that the government’s rival, Sir
Michael Somare
, was the nation's constitutional prime minister.

Sir Salamo denied he was biased in his decision to rule against the 10-month-old government led by Prime Minister Peter O'Neill.

Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga said yesterday’s charge followed a complaint made by Mr O’Neill, the ABC reported.

“Under the constitution, the Supreme Court was required to give its decision and it fell on each one of the five judges to give an opinion," a visibly shaken Sir Salamo told AAP.

He appealed to the police and military personnel to abide by his ruling, and called on the heads of the armed services to “take your oath seriously and stand up for the constitution".

“It is unprecedented," he said. “This country is being run by men who are happy to use force rather than the rule of law."

Mr O'Neill has said Sir Salamo's decision was an attempt to disrupt the country's elections next month.

The government has tried and failed to suspend Sir Salamo twice since November last year, accusing him of bias against it.

Police earlier arrested him on charges relating to his handling of court funds, but the court put a permanent stay on those ­proceedings.